A Weekend in Traverse City: Bubba’s Restaurant and Bar, Oryana Co-Op, and Trying a New Recipe.

Hello, my wonderful friends! I hope that your week is off to a great start! I woke up this morning with the worst stomach ache AND headache, so, unfortunately, I have not been as productive as I had hoped, but sometimes you just need to take care of yourself first!!! I had such a lovely weekend here in Traverse City, Michigan, that I thought I would share it with y’all! ❤

Friday Night.

Bobby and I have date night every week, and it’s generally on a Friday or Saturday. This Friday, I was feeling extra lazy, and not wanting to cook, so we had our date night on Friday! He had heard about this place from a friend, so we decided to try it out! And oh my goodness, it did not disappoint. The place’s name: Bubba’s.

Bobby got a seasonal drink. I can’t remember what exactly it was called, but it was a caramel apple drink. I got an Irish coffee, which was DELICIOUS. And much needed after a cold walk to the restaurant.

When you’re seated, you get a starter of pretzels and mustard, which was very much appreciated, as I was quite hangry at this point. It was a Friday night, so the place was HOPPING.

For our appetizer, we got the loaded fries. The loaded fries at Bubba’s include three cheese sauce, bacon, green onions, and sour cream. Now, I am not a fan WHATSOEVER of green onions, or any onions for that matter, so I just ate around them. That being said, I think that these are the BEST loaded fries I’ve ever had. The fries themselves were just so crunchy and delicious, pairing them with cheese just made them absolute perfection.

For our meals, we each got burgers.

Bobby got the carnivore burger with fries. This burger had steak, bacon, swiss, cheddar, haystack onions, lettuce, tomato, and roasted garlic aioli.

I got the Tex Mex burger with fries. This burger had a chorizo and beef mixed patty, bacon, provolone, guacamole, haystack onions, and a fried egg. I, of course, got it without the onions. It was SO tasty.

They also have veggie burgers, which I think I’ll probably try the next we go there.

Saturday.

On Saturday’s, Bobby usually works until noon, so we have the majority of the day to spend together. On this Saturday, I was feeling like an iced coffee from the outside world, and I texted Bobby asking if maybe he could bring us back some when he gets home from work. Luckily, he obliged. He bought each of us a caramel macchiato, which are my favorite. I will give a quick little life hack, though…

Caramel macchiatos are SO easy to make at home. (I’m just lazy, sometimes…)

Basically, all you have to do is make your coffee, and let it cool for awhile. After that, you add your ice, some caramel macchiato creamer, a drizzle of caramel, and then you’re all set! I did see a couple of videos online saying that caramel macchiatos are actually just coffee, milk, and believe it or not, VANILLA syrup. And then they add just a drizzle of caramel on top. So, super easy to make at home! HOWEVER, I do occasionally like to get a coffee made by someone else. Sometimes, it just tastes better!

After we were properly caffeinated, we went to our apartment’s gym. Bobby typically lifts weights and does abs, and I always run on the treadmill. I use an app called Couch to 5K. It is great for people who maybe aren’t the best at running… like me… It’s really nice to get a sweat in, especially as winter approaches. I honestly do it more for my mental health than my physical health.

After that, we went to the co-op!!! For those that don’t know, I worked at the co-op in my hometown, so whenever we go to the one in Traverse City, I get a little homesick while simultaneously feeling sort of at home. Cheesy, I know…

Anywho.

Saturday is generally our grocery shopping day, and before we did the grocery shopping, Bobby decided that he needed a little snack beforehand, so that he didn’t get too hangry… We went to the little cafe in Oryana, and we both got grilled cheese sandwiches. And holy cow, were they delicious! I can’t remember exactly the names of them, but I got one that was just plain cheese, and Bobby got one that also had turkey, tomato, and red onion.

After we finished grocery shopping, we came home, and I made dinner. Bobby picked out a recipe from Pinterest, I’ll link it here. And oh my GOODNESS, was this delicious. It took me quite awhile to make, because I kept burning the garlic, but it was definitely worth it. Bobby said it’s his new favorite! It’s a great hearty meal for the long midwest winter.

Sunday.

Ah, Sunday. Not a whole lot to say about Sunday, as Bobby and I generally spend it in our pajamas, watching Netflix, and relaxing. Sunday’s are probably my favorite day of the week, as we get to spend the whole day together!!!

I hope that y’all had a great weekend! I certainly did, and I loved writing all about it! Life can get so busy, and we can so easily forget the days that are a little less exciting, but they’re definitely worthy of our remembrance, all the same. If you ever are in Traverse City, I definitely recommend taking a trip to Bubba’s and/or Oryana if you ever get the chance!

Thank you so much for reading!

XOXO,

Mattie Mae